


Catch Me If You Can

by thecomebackkids99



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Boston marathon, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6570238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecomebackkids99/pseuds/thecomebackkids99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year ago, a drunk driver corralled into Felicity Smoak's car, killing her father and leaving her paralyzed. Today, she's fulfilling her father's dream and running the Boston Marathon.<br/>One year ago, playboy Oliver Queen's life broke when the girl he dated, Laurel Lance, died. He vowed to make something of his life, and decided that running a marathon would be a good start. Then Thea's boyfriend tears his knee during a basketball game. Today, he's trying to keep himself together and finish the beginning of his vow to himself and to his family and complete the race.<br/>And now, at mile marker twenty-four, they're both fighting for second-to-last place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

He was dying. He had to be dying. Every fiber, every tiny piece of his body and soul was falling to pieces and dying. He would be dead, in a coffin and six-feet under in a matter of minutes.

Apparently that’s what happens when you decide to run a marathon six months after blowing an ACL into pieces. He should have listened to Thea. And his mother. And his father. Literally everyone who told him not to do this. But instead, he decided to listen to himself. Oliver Queen. The one who spent most of his time partying. But after Laurel Lance’s death a year ago, he decided that he was going to work hard at something. Running a marathon sounded good. He could do that. And he did work at it, until his little sister’s boyfriend got too aggressive during a basketball game. And boom! There went his knee.

After surgeries and a hastened rehab, he decided that running in the Boston Marathon would be a good way to get his weakened legs back into peak form. He fired the therapist who tried to physically restrain him from flying to Boston, and got a new number so that his family couldn’t call him anymore.

He. Was. An. Idiot.

The first five miles didn’t hurt. At mile number eight he laughed at his parents and his sister. They didn’t think he could make it this far? Guess who did? He was on a roll. This was easy.

Then mile ten happened. Suddenly fire shot up and down his injured leg. He actually shrieked when it happened. Thankfully only an old woman was near. She gave him a concerned look and then took off, shaking her head. Probably ashamed for all men under the age of thirty after looking at him.

He kept going though, and made it to mile thirteen with a fashionable walk. That’s when his knee went stiff. He couldn’t bend it. There was nothing he could do. He tried stretching, but that hurt worse. When he stood up from that, his hips refused to budge. And his other knee started to ache.

And then the hills started. Going down actually hurt worse. He cried―actually _cried_ ―on the second hill. On the third, he fell and went rolling down. He eyed the next one and scooted to the side. Quitting would be nice here. He’d have to have knee replacements if he finished this. And there was a fancy looking go-cart off to the side. His bad-boy self could drive that to a nearby phone and get a flight straight home.

Home. With Thea and Roy and his parents. He could just picture his sister now.

_“I told ya tough-boy couldn’t make it! Wow, Ollie, you sad, poor puppy. You should’ve listened to us. At least it’d spare you the embarrassment of quitting during the race.”_

Oh, yeah, no. He would not let Speedy terrorize him like that. He would finish this accursed race even if killed him.

Now, at mile twenty-four, he realized that it would kill him. Now he just had to hope that he would make it across the finish line―dead last―before his heart and everything else gave out.

Heavy footfalls sounded in the distance, along with swear words and ugly breathing. “Oh, so look at that, young lady. This hot male who should not be at the back of the pack is going down. You’re not going to be last after all.”

What on earth? Oliver glanced back and groaned. No, no, no, no. This could not be happening. He was okay with getting last. Yes, it stung his pride that old women beat him, but a blonde girl with sweat streaming down her face just rounded the corner. Was that dirt in her hair? Blood? This would be worse than having Thea tease him for another ten years until she actually grew up.

He could not getting beat by this woman. Who actually was cute. Hot even. He might like to date her if she wasn’t quickly gaining on him. And probably going through all the ways that she could beat him. Which would be a lot. The easiest one would be to walk faster than him.

                                                                                                             *******

Felicity Smoak didn’t give up on many things. She hadn’t given up when her dad died in a car accident. She hadn’t given up when the same accident left her temporarily paralyzed. Well, she almost did, but she hadn’t. And today, she was running a marathon. And she was one-more-bad-thing-happening away from tossing her hands into the air and heading to a nearby bar. That’s what someone needed after something like this.

Mile one through seven were okay. Nothing ached – at least yet. At the beginning of mile number ten, a biker swerved onto the course and ran her over. It took everything she had to not grab the man and deck him. She’d probably end up breaking her hand, but it would have been worth it. Thankfully her friend Caitlin held her back. And then proceeded to ditch her at mile thirteen. Felicity told her to go, and that she’d be fine. It wasn’t like walking/dragging her feet was what her best friend had in mind when Felicity’s first words after her first steps in months were, “Let’s go run a marathon!” Or maybe that’s exactly what Caitlin had been thinking.

When the hills started, Felicity made it to number four before she started crying. Everything hurt now, especially her legs. Even after all the training she’d put in, nothing could have prepared her for this.

She took a seat on the side of the road and dropped her head in her hands. “Oh, God, I can’t do this anymore.” This pain was almost worse than the first days of rehab. At least she had her mother and her best friends by her side. As much as it hurt to lose her father, she still had people in her life.

Unlike now. Now she regretted sending her friend away. She _had_ to be the last person. She’d probably break a record of the slowest person ever. Like, _ever_. Couldn’t her fairy-god mother show up right now and give her a dramatic speech? Maybe give her some glass slippers that helped her glide across the ground in record time?

Now she was losing it. If she didn’t find something to pull her out of her stupor, she’d be sent to a mental hospital if someone found her.

She reached down into her shirt and pulled up the necklace. It was the locket that her father gave her on her tenth birthday. Ten years later, she still had it, but the pictures of her crushes had long since been taken out. In place, her dad and a younger version of herself smiled back at her. They got the picture taken on her fourteen birthday when he took her to the father-daughter dance. Two weeks after his death, she found the picture and popped it into her locket and put it back on after a few years of no necklaces.

She was running this race for him. He’d always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon, but they never had enough money to fly up here from Vegas. If she quit now, she would be only halfway there to realizing his dreams. He didn’t just want to run. He wanted to finish.

She clipped the locket closed and dropped it down next to heart again. Screw the pain and the loneliness. She could do this. _It’s just a few more miles._

A few more miles was right. By mile twenty-four, she’d added several more scrapes to her legs and arms, and now she had blood on her jaw from where she banged it on one of her falls. Her legs had gone numb, but apparently “ghost pains” happened after paralysis too. Sometimes she could feel the agony, and sometimes she couldn’t.

After several miles to think, swear, and then think again, she’d dealt with the fact that she would be last. It was perfectly okay. She’d gone through hell and back to get to this day anyways. But as she rounded the bend, she caught sight of a straggler. A…hot straggler. “Wow. Oh, my. That’s a nice view.” Then the thought dawned on her. One that, despite her pain, made her smile. “Oh, so look at that, young lady. This hot male who should not be at the back of the pack is going down. You’re not going to be last after all.”

His head swiveled around. She could pinpoint the moment his heart sank. His pace quickened. A smidge. Why on earth was he back here? He looked in shape. At least from the back. Maybe he had a beer-belly hanging out on the other side.

She began running again, gritting her teeth when her legs tightened with pain. _You can do this. This cute kid is ahead of you and you can whoop his sexy butt easily._

“I’m…honored.”

Oh, dear. She’d said that out loud. How typical of her. “Wasn’t talking to you. I… think trees are sexy. They’re my passion.”

“Be a little…more believable if there were trees around. And you’re not gonna beat me.”

“Watch me.” She bit back a shriek of pain when she put her foot down. The guy noticed and grabbed her arm.

“You okay?”

“I’m…fine.” To take her mind off her cramping legs, she looked down at his own and took in the knee brace and the way he lifted his leg up and set it down with a pained gentleness a guy like him wouldn’t normally have. “Looks like you’ve got a problem too.”

“I’ll live.”

                                                                                                ******

“I’ll live.” Maybe if he said that over and over again, he would. At this rate, he wouldn’t even make it past the finish line. The only thing that kept him going was the imaginative conversation with Thea he kept up in his head.

But now the motivation became the girl. She thought he had a sexy butt. He almost laughed out loud when she tried to cover it up with her love for…trees? He’d never heard of such a thing. And she also thought she could beat him.

Yeah, right. He would _not_ let that happen.

She sped up.

Fine, if he had to run to not get last, then he would do that. Even if every time he planted his foot, he had to keep from yelling swear words. At least he’d stopped crying.

She raised her eyebrows when he caught up to her again. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

“You’re not gonna beat me.”

“Yeah, that won’t be happening. Ever. I’ve got more will in me…” she stumbled, but regained her footing, “than you think.”

He just had to hope that he did too. _Remember Thea._ _Keep going, at all costs._ The fear of Thea’s treacherous teasing about quitting had now morphed into the fear of her teasing about him getting beat.

Why on earth did this girl have to come along?

But – he scanned her over – it didn’t hurt to have her run next to him. Even with a disoriented ponytail, blood and mud smeared across her face, she had a gorgeous air about her. One that –

“Oh, God!” She shrieked and fell. Oliver wrapped his arms underneath her armpits and kept her from hitting the ground.

“Hey, hey. Shhh.” As she started crying, he tried to calm her down. That was what people said, right? ‘Shhh’? He hated seeing anyone cry, but to see this girl, who clearly put a lot of heart into the past twenty-five miles, sobbing, it was heartbreaking. “What’s going on? Are you hurt?” 

“Kind of. It’s a long story. I was…in a car accident that left me paralyzed. It also…” she hiccupped, “killed my father.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault or…something. I’m running this for him. But my legs…” she slapped her thighs really hard. A little too hard in his opinion. “They’re not what they used to be. But even though it hurts a lot, I want to finish this. For my dad.”

Well, that made him feel…embarrassed. He’d spent a good two hours complaining about his knee and his poor life. Here was this woman who’d been paralyzed for a time and who’d lost her father, running this race. “Uh…I can help you. I’m not the best crutch, but I’ll get you there.”

“Really? Thank you. Come on.”

He’d hoped she would want to rest a little bit more. But the sooner they got this over with, the sooner he could get his leg amputated. “Alright.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “Hold onto me tight.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned in. “I imagined you saying that under different circumstances.”

 _What?_ Did she just…? He swung his head towards her. She gulped and shook her head. “Very…platonic circumstances.”

Some men would comment on that one, but in order to keep the small amount of dignity he had left, he would not. “Let’s go.”

They limped along the final couple miles like an old married couple. Oliver could only imagine what the tabloids would think of him now. Good thing he escaped them for the weekend. The paparazzi would have a field day with this. _‘Oliver Queen helps girl across finish line’_

Or more accurately: _‘Oliver Queen and unknown girl make it across the finish line only for the former playboy to die’._ At least it would be heroically.

The crowds came into sight now. Along with a few stragglers ahead of them, but they didn’t have a chance of overtaking them. They hit mile twenty-six, and then the arm around his waist slackened, and then pulled away altogether.

She flashed him a devilish grin. “I’ll race you to the finish line.” And then she started running.

 _Are you kidding me?_ He swore and then started after her. He had to beat her. He just _had_ to. If he lost…oh, he didn’t even want to think about it.

His knee screamed in pain as he ran but he forced it to stay back. _Come on, Queen. Don’t get beat by her._ He didn’t even know her name. The exhaustion and pain had been so great for both of them that they didn’t ask.

The end stretch began, and people cheered. He bit down on his lip and urged his body to move faster. Just…a…little…further. He overtook her in the final feet, but she threw herself forward. Over the finish line.

He probably wouldn’t have if he had time to think. If he had a brain left to think. But he didn’t have time. So just as she crossed the pad and people screamed, he launched himself across the line. And landed hard on his stomach, right next to her. _Dear God._ Pain radiated from his knees, his elbows, and his chin from the asphalt.

“Owww. That really hurt.”

They weren’t dead. So that meant time for introductions. Oliver rolled to his side and extended his hand. “Hi. I’m Oliver Queen.”

The girl squeezed his hand and then gave him a surprisingly hearty handshake. How did she have that much energy left? It hurt to perform a simple task like introducing himself. “Felicity Smoak.”


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver Queen. Yeah, she knew the name. Unfortunately. Why did the only guys she ever talked to turn out to be millionaires? She didn’t even _like_ going shopping for fancy dresses that cost over two hundred dollars. The haircut – sexy, if she were being honest – probably cost more than her whole outfit. She got the pink tank top and her black shorts at a second-hand store. And the red, out of place headband? Yeah, she found that in a parking lot.

“Ma’am, sir…I know you’re tired and probably gravely injured, but I’m going to have to ask you to stand up. If it’s any motivation, you’ll be on YouTube within ten minutes. Lots of cameras out.”

Oliver stood up first and extended his hand to her. She got to her feet with his help and bowed to the crowd who gave her an applause. _This is for you, Dad._ If she closed her eyes, she could see him smiling at her, clapping with the crowd. He would be proud of her. Probably slightly mortified by how the race went on, but at least she finished. And beat Oliver.

Speaking of that gorgeous, sweet man…she gave him her sweetest smile. “Thank you for helping me. You gave up a lot on that. I hope I was a good partner in…walking?”

He chuckled and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “You’re welcome. Do you have family here that I can get you to? It’s a big crowd.”

A shrill scream pierced the bubble around them. Felicity whirled towards the sound, caught sight of what― _who_ ―had made the sound, and groaned. “No. No, this can’t be.” Of all the outfits for her mother to wear to a running race, she had to pick that one?

Oliver whistled as the woman – her mother, of all people – sauntered toward them. More like ran in seven-inch high-heels. “Wow.”

“Felicity! Oh baby, I’m so proud of you!”

“Hi, Mom.” She wrapped her arms around her mother, treasuring the comfort and home in the hug. Eyeing Oliver, she almost laughed. He mouthed, “Mom?” with a facial expression that could only be categorized as shocked. Poor guy.

“Honey, I can’t believe you actually finished. Not that I doubted it, but oh, I was so worried! Your father would be so, so proud. He’s smiling down at you right now.” Donna Smoak pulled back and smacked her hands onto Felicity’s cheeks. “ _I_ am proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” _Please don’t notice Oliver._

Donna turned and squealed. “And this is the kind man who―oh, wow. Oliver Queen. Felicity, how many billionaires do you know?”

“Mom, I just met him. Like…thirty minutes ago. I hardly ‘know’ him. And don’t tell me to date him. We both know what happened the last time I tried dating anyone with money. Or just dating anyone. And I’m going to stop talking.”

Oliver had a look on his face. She didn’t know what kind of look. Curiosity? Envy? Probably trying hard not to laugh at her babbling.

Donna put her arm around Felicity’s shoulders and squeezed. “Felicity…she’s had some heartbreak. A few failed dates…relationships. She could use someone in her life who could show her that some men are good. It does help that you’re very, very sexy.”

“ _Mom_!”

Oliver’s face turned a distinct shade of red. “I, uh, um…” he cleared his throat. Three times. “My longtime girlfriend passed away a year ago. And I’m not really what you would call a ‘good man’―”

“Oh, my daughter’s done her share of bad things. We could get past that.”

“ _Mother_!” That did it. No more Donna Smoak for the world today. Felicity grabbed Donna’s arm and yanked her down the path. Even though her legs yelped in pain every step, she had to get her out of here before Oliver learned any more secrets about her. She turned back to look at him, but he was gone. _Go figure._ The first man in a good two years who she knew she could learn to trust had slipped through her fingertips. Like everything else in her life. Like her father. Like her other boyfriends. Even like her legs. She was damaged. Damaged goods. For the first few minutes, Oliver saw the stubborn, cute girl who tried so hard to stay on the surface.

But then he saw her in a different. In a truer light. Her mom could be thanked for that. Nothing in this world would make Donna Smoak happier than to see her daughter happy. Even if she had to drop some questionable sentences to do that.

A good man – the one who she dreamed of marrying and having babies with – didn’t deserve her.

                                              ******

Oliver watched Felicity and her mom go and took a step towards them, but he hesitated when he heard, “Ollie!” Only a few people called him that, and only one of them still lived. _Oh, great._ He didn’t want to deal with his little sister right now.

“Look at that. Roy, I owe you twenty bucks. Ollie, you finished. Dead last, but you finished.” Thea paraded forward, a gigantic grin on her face. “Congrats, bro.”

“Thanks, Speedy.” He caught her in a hug and forced himself not to put all of his weight on her. If he didn’t get food and water soon, his fear of dropping dead would come to past. “I didn’t think you would come.”

“We all came. We were actually at the starting line. You just didn’t see us. You did good out there.” She pulled away and brushed off her glittery shirt. “Eww. You’re all sweaty.”

Roy gave Oliver the ‘cool nod’. “Good job. Sorry about your knee.”

“You’ve apologized enough already.” He really hadn’t, but Oliver tried to stay on Roy’s good side as much as possible.

“Oliver!” His mom rushed through the crowd around them and enveloped him in a hug. “Oh, my beautiful boy. I’m so proud of you.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Laurel would be proud too.”

“Even if I got dead last?”

“I think she’d be extra proud that you finished.”

“Hey, Ollie, who was that girl that beat you?”

Leave it to Thea to broach the subject he hoped to avoid. “She was temporarily paralyzed in an accident that killed her father. I…we helped each other on the last couple miles. Her name is Felicity.” He winced when Thea and his mom exchanged looks. And then both smiled. “She and I are not dating, if that’s what you’re coming up with.”

“No, no. You’re not ready for anything like that again.” Moira squeezed his shoulder and then turned. “Your father is at a Red Sox game so I’m going to call him and tell him that you’re done. We fly back to Starling in a few hours. You can come with us or you can fly back later. Whatever you’d like.”

“I’ll see. I need to get some food for now.” _And find Felicity._ He had her name, but he couldn’t find someone in even a phone book to save his life. If he couldn’t spot her now, a private investigator could do the trick. She couldn’t go that far.

“Just so you know, you two would make a cute couple. See ya!” Thea waved and ran off with Roy into the crowd.

Oliver groaned. Five minutes and Thea already wanted them together. Prime example to why he never let her in on any of his secrets. If he told her thought the girl who started the race next to him had cute hair, his sister would have the engagement, wedding, and all of the baby names mapped out in ten minutes.

He collected two water bottles and a few granola bars from the station and continued walking in the direction Felicity dragged her mom.

He laughed out loud as he remembered the conversation between them. The power of disappearing would’ve been handy in that moment. How was he supposed to respond in those moments? Say, “Great! I’d love to date your daughter!”? The old Oliver would date any girl who looked like Felicity. But after his stupidity resulted in Laurel’s death a year ago, getting involved in someone’s life held less appeal. He didn’t want to hurt anyone again.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again after that conversation.” Felicity came to stand next to him. “I am so sorry.”

He gave her a smile. “It’s okay. Not the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Usually those comments come from drunk people. Not mothers. How are your legs feeling?”

“If I keep walking they’ll be okay. As soon as I sit down, they’ll hurt. Bad.”

“That sucks, because I was thinking that I should say thank you a few more times and take you―this is a bad idea. Awful even. I’m going to leave now.”

“No, wait.” He grabbed her arm. “Take me where? I will tell you, I’m not into nude beaches if that’s where you wanted to go.”

Her eyes widened. “Me neither. Never been to one, never plan on it. Too many naked people. Which I realize is the point and oh I’m babbling again. Three, two, one. Anyways, I thought I should say ‘thank you’ and take you out to some place. Coffee, maybe? You like coffee, right? Billionaires do that. Correct?”

He burst out laughing at her hopeful face. “I like coffee. Lattes, actually. Blame that on my sister. But I’m buying. You helped me too.”

“No. No, I want to buy. You might be really rich, but I’ve got money. That―” she pulled out a bunch of tissues. “Was stolen.”

“Are you sure?”

“It was literally right in my pocket. Why does this always happen to me?”

“You’ve lost your wallet before?”

“Thank the dirt bag kid who thought that taking money from a girl would be funny. Trust me. He regretted it.”

Did he want to know? Yes. Should he ask? No. But he would anyway. “What’d you do?”

“Kicked him in the crotch. Which I would gloat about a lot more if I didn’t get it stolen. Again. I’m just not having luck today. That guy’s gonna pay. Somehow.”

“Did you have a lot in it? Cuz we can report it stolen.”

“Just my license and some cash that I was going to use to buy something cute with. There’s a red dress that I saw at Nordstrom…but I will stop dreaming about that. It was way too expensive anyways. But I still want to take you out to eat. As a thank you.”

“You helped me too, so I’m going to take you out. Not as a date _date_ but―”

“Oh, no. No date. Definitely not a date. You have a great butt and you’re really nice, but no date. Just coffee. And a latte. My mom is on her way to her hotel so let’s escape before she comes back with her mouth. Not that mine is any better, but at least it’s less embarrassing. Though I did just tell you that you had a nice butt.”

What a girl. He chuckled and grabbed her arm. “I’ve been to this area a few times so I know where to go. But first let’s let someone know that your wallet disappeared. What does it look like?”

“It’s….pink. Yes, pink.”

He knew how to detect a half-truth. No way that wallet was just pink. “There’s a lot of pink wallets around here. Any more…details?”

“Please don’t make me tell you what else is on there.”

“Felicity, I was a party-boy for several years. I’ve seen about everything and anything. What’s on the wallet?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Pandas.”

“What?” He heard ‘pandas’.

“Pandas. Like the things that live in China. You’ve heard of them right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard of them. Just never heard of them being on a wallet.”

“My mom got it for me a few years ago. Dad insisted that he didn’t have anything to do with it, but I have my suspicions. It’s really not important.”

He could also tell when people flat-out lied. Mostly because he did it often too. “No, we’re gonna get the wallet back. Excuse me? Are you the director of the lost and found?”

                                                *******

First her mom dumped the “bad-girl, bad boyfriends” secrets, then Felicity dumped the “you’ve got a cute butt” line. Now he knew that she carried a panda wallet. Excellent. Maybe the universe just didn’t want her with any man.

But boy, oh, boy was this man a good one. Even in her few moments with him he’d beaten all the guys she’d dated. _But he’s not interested in dating._ Neither should she, to be honest.

But they were going to coffee. Not as a date. As a thank-you from both of them. For helping each other through the most grueling part of the race. Maybe they would become friends and she could say she knew another rich person. A nice one.

Oliver stepped off the podium. “I reported it missing. They’ll call me if they find it.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“I figured that out. And if it doesn’t turn up, I’ll find you a new one. I’m sure there’s more than one panda purse around. You ready to go? We’ll be back before it’s dark out.”

“I’m not twelve. Dark out is okay. Oooh, boy. Maybe we should go to a spa instead and have our legs massaged. Not one of those spas with naked people. That’s just awkward for people who aren’t actually out on a date. Though I’d feel like it’d be awkward even if was a date.” _Stop, Felicity, stop._ Oliver’s face had turned a shade of pink. Great. She embarrassed him. “Sorry. Let’s just start walking. I don’t talk as much when I walk. Though apparently running brings back the babbling.”

Oliver limped along next to her, a smile stretching his face. Oh, he was cute. “I’ve never liked spas anyways. How far can your legs move?”

“A little further. Especially if it involves having sugar.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Oliver stopped her in front of a quaint shop. “This is it.”

With the flowers, rustic brick, and Irish bagpipe music playing, it felt like a cottage in the Laura Ingalls days. Minus the music. Speakers weren’t around then. Felicity nodded her thanks to him for opening the door and stepped in. “Aww. This is adorable. I’m a little surprised a rich man like you would know of this place.”

“My dad took me here when I was little. I haven’t been here since.”

“Is it how you remember it?”

“Just the same. What would you like?”

“Coffee with cream and sugar and a blueberry scone. That’s not too much, right?”

“Nope. I’ll order. You go sit down.”

She chose a window seat that overlooked the busy Boston streets. Somehow it felt peaceful. Honking horns, people yelling. Coffee beans being ground in the kitchen. Vegas was different. The only peace she got was when she sat with her computer in her bathroom. Mostly thanks to no windows. She couldn’t hear everything from there.

“Here’s your coffee and scone.” Oliver sat down opposite her. “We can always order something else too.”

“I might look like I eat a lot, but I really don’t. This will be good for now. Thank you.” She took her cup and sipped. “It’s actually really good. Too bad they didn’t have one of these down in Vegas.”

“You’re from Vegas?

“Surprised? I don’t look much like a Vegas girl.”

“No, you really don’t.”

Felicity giggled. She stared down at the milky coffee. And smiled. One year ago – almost to the day – her dad died. And she was left with non-functioning legs. Ever since that day, she hadn’t truly been happy. Sure, she laughed. She worked hard at smiling. But at the back of her heart, every time she tried to make herself happy, she could see how her father looked after the wreck. Mangled. And dead.

But now, as she raised her eyes and met his, she knew it in her soul that today was the best day she had had since that fateful morning.

All because of Oliver Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed this! (And hopefully you guys caught the "panda wallet" moment.) I will try to post a chapter each week.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I'm clearly not the best at the whole "alternate universe" thingy, but I saw this prompt on Pinterest, and I had to write it. Especially since the Boston Marathon is on Monday. (Good luck to anyone who is running it!!!) I realize that the marathon entries, etc. are a little different, but I thought that this would be a hilarious way to meet. I also know that I made Oliver a little more like his playboy self, but he hasn't had as much heartbreak as our Oliver Queen has had. Yet. :P  
> Let me know if anyone wants another chapter! :)


End file.
